winter tryes aren't just for snow.Summer tyres lose traction progressively below 9 c and we've been below that for a few months now....

Well, that's not entirely true - modern all-season tyres (I don't think any mainstream car-maker fits their cars with summer tyres in UK) start stiffen, hence loosing their grip, at about -10 degC. In addition, winter tyres are less efficient (compared to all-season tyres) on wet surfaces. And I think the wet performance is much more important in UK rather than snow/ice performance As I gather it, that sort of winter conditions happen in the UK once in a life-time (or nearly). I live in UK for 5 years now and this is the first time I see snow like that. So, really I don't see much point in buying spare set of wheels/winter tyres and using them once for a few weeks and then basically throw them away (because if you need to use them again in, say 5 years, they won't be good any more). I am better with just avoiding to drive in the fresh snow and that's it.

Edited 10 January, 201016 yr by MZPRX

Well, that's not entirely true - modern all-season tyres (I don't think any mainstream car-maker fits their cars with summer tyres in UK) start stiffen, hence loosing their grip, at about -10 degC. In addition, winter tyres are less efficient (compared to all-season tyres) on wet surfaces. And I think the wet performance is much more important in UK rather than snow/ice performance As I gather it, that sort of winter conditions happen in the UK once in a life-time (or nearly). I live in UK for 5 years now and this is the first time I see snow like that. So, really I don't see much point in buying spare set of wheels/winter tyres and using them once for a few weeks and then basically throw them away (because if you need to use them again in, say 5 years, they won't be good any more). I am better with just avoiding to drive in the fresh snow and that's it.

Actually my new "winter" tyres are all season tyres. Nokian WR G2 and they are outpreforming the tyres I had on by a considerable margin. Others who have had these tyres say they are much better in the wet too. I'm not sure where you get the minus 10 figure from. I'm no expert but all the research I did before buying said that between plus 6 and 9 was the point at which non winter tyres start to stiffen.

I have been in the UK all my life (43 years) and I can tell you we absolutely do get snow like this every year. The difference this year is that it has lasted longer than I can remember. We have now had thick snow since the 17th of December. Normally we get snow from January onwards and it will only last for 3 to 4 days typically. The temperatures have also been lower than normal. Minus 13 is the lowest I have seen when I was dropping my son at nursery but for a couple of weeks it didn't rise above minus 5 at all.

So while these conditions have been unusual in that the snow has been here for nearly 4 weeks, the fact that we have snow isn't unusual. And as for avoiding driving for 4 weeks.....I'd have to stock up on a lot of food to do that

Edited 12 January, 201016 yr by domhnall

Well, that's not entirely true - modern all-season tyres (I don't think any mainstream car-maker fits their cars with summer tyres in UK) start stiffen, hence loosing their grip, at about -10 degC.

Sorry to disagree but I don't think any mainstream UK car suppliers fit anything oher than summer tyres, unless it's a specialist vehicle (e.g. AWD with an expectation of off-road use). If you look at an online tyre supplier who supplies summer, all-season and winter tyres (e.g. http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/) just about every standard manufacturer fitted tyre falls into the summer tyre category. You're probably right to say that all-season tyres are good down to -10 degress but everything I've read suggests that summer tyres start to become less effective somewhere between +7 and +9 degrees.

The biggest problem I've had this winter I think has been the tread pattern - I have good tread depth still but my summer tyres clog up with snow easily and then work like slicks...

Pete